Photo By Staff Sgt. Adam Keith | Master Sgt. Emi Takasaka, a member of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, slices...... read more read more
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CAMP ASAKA, Japan - The Soldiers manning the Samurai Dining Facility came to Japan to cook.
The reserve and active duty Army chefs arrived at Camp Asaka from bases in Japan and California with the mission of feeding thousands of Soldiers during Yama Sakura, an annual bilateral command post exercise between Japan and the U.S.
The Soldiers said they were ready for the exercise, but their most challenging mission came unexpectedly: a cooking competition against their Japanese hosts on Dec. 12, complete with mystery baskets, secret ingredients and an unforgiving clock.
The Planner
The challenge was the brainchild of an American officer and his Japanese counterpart. Two teams of five cooks would have 90 minutes to create restaurant-quality dishes from four baskets of mystery ingredients in an Iron Chef-style competition.
“This is the first cooking competition me and my Japanese counterpart have been a part of,” said Capt. Adam Karlewicz, who was the American side of the duo that planned the event. “We kind of just put it together at the last minute. It took us about a week to plan.”
Karlewicz, part of the 35th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion based in Japan, acted as master of ceremonies for the event – witty commentary and impromptu interviews with the competitors included.
The hard part wasn’t planning the event, said Karlewicz. The hard part was how big the event became once word got out that the Samurai Inn would be transformed into a “kitchen stadium”.
“It was originally supposed to be just the commanding officers of each unit [judging the competition],” he said. “It blew up. We ended up having the I Corps commanding general and the U.S. Army Japan commanding general stop by for the competition.”
The Competitor
Sgt. Marshall Sheppard is an Army cook with the 693rd Quartermaster Company, a Reserve unit out of Bell, Cali. Sheppard said this was his first time doing a cooking competition.
“They told us five days ago,” said Sheppard. “We didn’t know it was going to be this big.”
The competition started with a flurry of activity. The teams quickly grabbed their ingredients and planned their meals while spectators commented on technique and judges filed in.
Sheppard said he enjoyed the opportunity to interact with the members of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force during the competition because he spends most of his days in the dining facility feeding hungry Soldiers.
“We had limited equipment in the kitchen so we had to share with the Japanese team. We had to interact,” he said. “We had to go to the interpreter a few times for help but it worked out.”
By the time the clock hit zero each team was sweating and tired, the results of their hard work laid out before a panel of U.S. and Japanese judges.
The Judge
Lt. Col. Brian Lesiak, commander of the 335th CSSB, said he loves cooking and was looking forward to judging the event.
“The food from both teams was awesome, but I’m not going to lie, I have a soft spot in my heart for Japanese food,” said Lesiak. “I was trying to get some of their secret ingredients before they left.”
As a logistician, Lesiak said he wasn’t surprised at the quality of food that the Army and JGSDF cooks presented.
“If you know anything about logistics you know that these are chefs who go through intense training to learn their skills and perfect their craft,” he said. “I think this competition brought out the best of both teams.”
A big part of Yama Sakura is building relationships, said Lesaik, and a competition is a great way to do that.
“I could see it in their faces, by the way they look, their intensity, their smiles and at the end their laughter,” he said. “That’s what builds partnerships and that’s what builds long lasting relationships.”
In the end Lesiak was in difficult position. Like most of the judges, he said he had to choose between two outstanding meals. Only one team could walk away victorious.
The Winner
After tallying all of the judge’s scorecards the final score was 317-301. The U.S. team narrowly took the victory.
Sheppard said he is competitive. He likes to win, but he didn’t view the event as simply as that.
“My focus really wasn’t all on trying to beat the other team,” he said. “I was also looking to learn and see the kind of techniques they used.”
A good perspective on things is what Sheppard called it. Listening to what the Japanese team said through the interpreters, seeing how they worked and how they interacted was eye opening for him.
“We’re all kind of saying the same things,” he said. “We aren’t all that different.”
| Date Taken: | 12.12.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 12.12.2014 09:51 |
| Story ID: | 150168 |
| Location: | CAMP ASAKA, TOKYO, JP |
| Web Views: | 125 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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